Archive for the ‘True Facts’ Category

During World II, when the general named his Bull Terrier for William the Conqueror, his officers wondered if he believed the gun-shy pup to have been the fearless warrior-king in another life.

Patton, who carefully maintained an aura of eccentric genius, let them wonder.

Soon after World War I, the young tank commander Patton acquired a Bull Terrier as a family pet.

He became smitten with the breed and owned many Bullies in his lifetime. Willie was the last of the line. He was beside his master in 1944 as the general’s famous tank corps raced across Europe, liberating huge swaths of Nazi-held territory. More

The Confederate Battle Flag was never a National Flag of the Confederacy. It was carried into battle by several armies such as the Army Of Northen Virginia and the Army of Tennessee. Was also used as a Naval Jack by the Confederate Navy.

Many Northern civilians owned slaves. Prior to, during and even after the War Of Northern Aggression.

Most Union Generals and staff had slaves to serve them.

William T. Sherman had many slaves that served him until well after the war was over and did not free them until late in 1865.

None of the flags of the Confederacy or Southern Nation ever flew over a slave ship. Nor did the South own or operate any slaves ships. More

They once were among the most universally admired and revered men in the United States .. There were 80 of the Raiders in April 1942, when they carried out one of the most courageous and heart-stirring military operations in this nation’s history. The mere mention of their unit’s name, in those years, would bring tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.

Now only four survive.
After Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, with the United States reeling and wounded, something dramatic was needed to turn the war effort around.

Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to Japan for the United States to launch a retaliation, a daring plan was devised. Sixteen B-25s were modified so that they could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never before been tried — sending such big, heavy bombers from a carrier. Continued

A few days before his eighth birthday, in February 1817, Abraham Lincoln shot a wild turkey. He hoped the kill would impress his father. Instead, the sight of the dead bird left the future president traumatized. Lincoln later wrote that he never again pulled a trigger on “any larger game.”

Around 1855, Lincoln adopted a stray yellow mutt he named Fido (from fidelis, Latin for “faithful”). Fido lived up to his name, accompanying Lincoln everywhere. But after the election of 1860, Lincoln feared the trip to Washington would be too stressful, and left the dog behind with friends.

He even left behind Fido’s favorite horsehair sofa to keep him comfortable.

When the president died, Fido returned the love, standing guard as thousands of mourners filed through Lincoln’s home to pay their respects. More True Facts

FERGUSON Missouri – Two men suspected of buying explosives they planned to detonate during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, once a grand jury decides the Michael Brown case, were arrested on Friday and charged with federal firearms offenses, a law enforcement official told Reuters.

Word of the arrests, reported by a number of media outlets Friday, came ahead of the grand jury’s widely anticipated decision on whether the white police officer who fatally shot Brown, an unarmed black teenager, should be indicted on criminal charges.

The Aug. 9 slaying of 18-year-old Brown under disputed circumstances became a flashpoint for U.S. racial tensions, triggering weeks of sometimes violent protests in the St. Louis suburb by demonstrators calling for officer Darren Wilson’s arrest. More

Utah – Toys left by a killer’s 5-year-old son and DNA evidence have helped solve a 23-year-old murder mystery in suburban Utah.

Lucille Johnson, a 78-year-old grandmother, was strangled and beaten to death inside her mobile home in 1991. Her killing went without justice until investigators with Salt Lake City’s Unified Police Department recently reopened the cold case.

Tissue samples from underneath Johnson’s fingernails were sent for DNA testing, which wasn’t available at the time of her killing. Lego building blocks found strewn around Johnson’s living room were retested for fingerprints.

The DNA testing identified John Sansing, 47, who is already in an Arizona prison for a similar murder, authorities said, KUCW-TV reported Thursday. More

New York – Just six days after opening to the public, a rumor quickly spread that the new bridge was about to collapse. The resulting panic caused such a massive stampede that 12 were killed in the crush.

The tragic incident started the afternoon of May 30, 1883 when a woman tripped and fell descending the wooden stairs on the Manhattan side of the bridge. Apparently, this caused another woman to scream at the top of her lungs, which caused those nearby to rush towards the scene.

The commotion sparked a chain reaction of confusion, as more and more people panicked and mobbed the narrow staircase, creating a massive pileup. Thousands were on the promenade, quickly turning the situation deadly.

Believing a collapse was imminent, terrified pedestrians scrambled for the exit, trampling one another. Panicked men, women and children piled on top of each another and became trapped against the iron fences that line the narrow promenade. In true old-time New York fashion, pickpockets came to rob the helpless victims. More

.In 1956, East Germany decided to honor the death of native composer Robert Schumann by featuring him on a stamp. The design included a commemorative portrait of the artist against the backdrop of one of his musical scores. Unfortunately, the musical manuscript they used was that of fellow composer Franz Schubert.

.Flamingos are naturally white. Their diet of brine shrimp and algae turns them pink.

.Twinkies originally had banana-flavored filling, but switched to vanilla when WWII brought the banana trade to a halt.

Malaysia Airlines had an unusual claim in 2000 for the total loss of an Airbus A330.

In that case, a canister of a mysterious Chinese shipment destined for Iran broke open near the end of a trip from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur and began leaking, producing a smell that prompted the captain to conduct an emergency evacuation upon landing of all 266 people aboard.

A subsequent investigation found that the hold was contaminated beyond cleaning with mercury and other chemicals that may have been precursors for the manufacture of nerve gas. More